


The Blood Moon, The Bloodied Moon

by AlexIsOkay



Category: Drag-On Dragoon | Drakengard, Drakengard 3
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, gothic fantasy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 01:27:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29726217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexIsOkay/pseuds/AlexIsOkay
Summary: Rotting in a prison cell and slated for execution, Four is offered a choice: become a monster hunter in the employ of her hero, Lady One, or hang from the gallows. It's hardly a difficult decision- even once simple patrol duty turns into a furtive investigation into the disappearance of Four's predecessor, and even once Four finds herself partnered with the most intolerable woman she's ever met.
Relationships: Five/Four (Drag-On Dragoon), Five/One (Drag-on Dragoon), Four/One (Drag-On Dragoon)
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

The inside of the cell was cold and dark and damp. A chill wind constantly snuck in through the small gaps between the stones in the wall, and the smell of mildew hung heavy in the air. The bars at the front of the cell were rusted, though not so much that they were easy to break- Four would know. She had tried many times.

The inside of the cell was simple and nondescript: a small, stiff bed hung against the wall, a battered tray with the remnants of a meal sat in the corner, and tally marks scratched onto one of the stones counted the days until Four’s execution.

Four sat still on the edge of her bed, eyes closed, hands clasped in front of her. She hadn’t moved for the better part of an hour, hadn’t so much as opened her eyes or twitched a muscle. Her thoughts were elsewhere, or at least they attempted to be, but shutting out the reality of her surroundings was something easier said than done. She couldn’t shut out each howl of the wind on the other side of the walls, or each repetitive drip of water from somewhere down the hall.

Maddening as those sounds were, however, they were at least consistent. It was the interruption to them, then, that startled Four. Footsteps were coming from down the hall- two of them, if she was hearing correctly, approaching at a steady pace. Four’s eyebrows furrowed, and her face scrunched up in contemplation, but she didn’t open her eyes just yet. It was too soon for another meal, and they didn’t typically come to clean the tray from breakfast until it was time for dinner. But her execution wasn’t scheduled until tomorrow- had she lost track of the days? Was it possible it was happening now?

Four finally opened her eyes as she heard the footsteps reach the corner outside her cell, vision straining to make out a thing against the dim light. A single torch illuminated the entire hallway, and it was far enough away that, where Four was sitting, it was a struggle just to see her own hand in front of her face. She could see shadows playing against the wall, though, heralding the outlines of her visitors. And, after another few seconds, those visitors themselves finally rounded the corner.

They weren’t the sort of people Four had expected. They weren’t guards, that much was obvious from their attire. They were a pair of women, one of them considerably taller than the other, with long, wavy blonde hair, clothing dark with golden adornments, low-cut enough in the front to show off a generous amount of her chest. The other woman was shorter, and her pale hair was cut shorter as well, only reaching down a bit past her chin. Her clothing was white, accented with black, and though she might have been the shorter of the pair she carried herself with so much presence that it was almost easy not to notice. It was also easy, considering the situation, for Four to almost not realize that she recognized this woman. Only almost, though.

Four’s posture straightened even more, eyes going slightly wide when she realized she had seen this woman before- not in person, admittedly, but it was still impossible not to recognize her. Her name was One, and she was a monster hunter turned lord of a small town, carrying with her so much fame and repute that it would have been impossible for Four to avoid word of her even if she had tried. Not that she ever would have done something like that, of course. One was Four’s idol, her role model, and following in her footsteps was the reason she Four had become a monster hunter in the first place. The only question that remained, then, was what One was doing in a place like this.

Four nearly threw herself off the edge of her bed to rush forward and press her face against the bars, though she stopped herself just as she began to lurch forward, muscles tightening and holding her in place. She didn’t know why One was here, but it wouldn’t do to embarrass herself with such a lack of decorum. Instead Four rose, forcing herself to walk forward slowly, maintaining a measured composure as she approached the edge of her cell despite the frantic beating in her chest. Confused as she might have been, it was clear to Four that this was about her, considering no one else was kept in this wing of the prison, and as One came closer her eyes were undoubtedly locked on Four, sending a shiver up her spine.

“Lady One,” Four said, voice strained from days of dehydration and disuse. “Why are you-” Before she could even finish the question, however, One’s companion was raising a hand to silence her.

“You speak when spoken to,” she said, and Four’s eyes narrowed as she glanced over at her, distaste taking no time at all to set in. For a moment Four measured the distance between this woman and the bars of her cell, wondering if her arm could cover that space. Before she had the opportunity to find an answer to that question, however, One spoke again.

“Four,” she said, though it sounded more like she was simply making a statement, rather than addressing Four directly. “The infamous monster hunter and outlaw. Fallen from grace and, now, fated to die tomorrow. Yours is a tragic story. Tell me,” she asked. “Do you feel regret?” The question surprised Four, and for a moment her mouth hung open as she searched for an answer, before she stepped closer, wrapping her hands around the bars of her cell.

“O-Of course I do,” she insisted, and though her expression twisted up into one of pleading and sorrow, One's remained unmoved. “What happened was a horrible tragedy. I- I regret it deeply.”

“It was a tragedy that you perpetrated,” One reminded her, words striking like a knife to Four’s gut. “How many people died by your hand? Thirty, at least, if the stories I heard are to be believed.”

“They- That’s not-” Four said, shaking her head as her grip on the bars tightened. “The stories are exaggerated, surely.”

“Then you’re saying you didn’t kill anyone?” One asked, and the question made Four flinch backward. Another second of silence passed, though fortunately One spoke again after that, not waiting for Four to actually answer. “You’re lucky, then, that I’m not particularly concerned with any of that.”

“You’re not?” Four asked, eyes returning to One and going slightly wider as she asked that question. “Then… Why are you here?”

“Why indeed?” One’s companion cut in again, much to Four’s irritation.  
“A dingy little prison like this really isn’t any place for refined women like us, you know. I tried to steer us towards the local brothel, but sadly,” she sighed, “I was overruled.”

“Enough,” One said, shooting her companion a sideways glare, and her companion pouted at her, but she seemed to know her place regardless. “I’m here,” One went on, eyes returning to Four, “to free you.”

For a moment after One said that, Four had to assume her ears must have been playing tricks on her. It sounded too unreal to possibly be true, and Four found herself wondering if perhaps she was already dead, if she had already been marched to the gallows and this was her last, dying hallucination. If that were the case, though, she didn’t think she would have the presence of mind to start questioning it. Which meant this had to be real, didn’t it?

“I don’t understand,” Four said, heart beating faster suddenly, and she didn’t want to let herself grow too excited just yet, but she was unable to stop it all the same. “Why would you free me?”

“Because I have need of you,” One replied, and hearing One, of all people, say that was a fantasy Four never even would have let herself indulge for how unrealistic it felt.

“O-Of course!” Four blurted out, and it wasn’t mere survival instinct that was driving her now. “Anything you need me to do for you, I’ll gladly do!”

“You should hurry up and tell her what this is actually about, One,” her companion said, lips curling up into a coy smile. “Before she starts to get the wrong idea.” One didn’t react to that, though, expression remaining stoic, eyes remaining locked on Four before she continued speaking.

“I had a hunter working in my employ,” One explained. “Recently she’s disappeared, and I’m seeking a replacement. Pledge your loyalty and complete and total obedience,” she said, extending a hand out and reaching it through the bars, offering it to Four. “And I’ll free you from this place and make the position yours.” And as One’s hand was held in front of her Four stared down at it for another few seconds, still questioning if any of this was real, or if One’s hand was going to vanish into nothing the moment she tried to touch it. But, dismissing those thoughts as best she could, Four reached her own up to find that One’s was entirely permanent and tangible, and she shook it as she gave her answer.

“Anything for you, Lady One.”

* * *

The fact that One had simply been able to snap her fingers and have Four released from her cell was a testament to just how much power and notoriety she carried. Four would have felt smug and prideful as she was marched past the guards who certainly would have taken too much pleasure in executing her come tomorrow, though the heavy shackles that had been slotted around Four’s wrists and ankles before she was freed from her cell undermined that feeling, ever so slightly.

From there it was a journey of several hours back to One’s own town. Four had been loaded into the back of a wagon alongside One and her companion- Five, Four had learned she was named. It was a name she was familiar with, and in some way it was disheartening to learn that _this_ was the Five she had heard so much about. She didn’t seem as though she was fit to serve a hunter at all, let alone a hunter as esteemed as One.

The wagon carried them through dense forests and dark, rocky paths, and the trio were largely quiet as they went. Whatever attempts at starting _entirely too personal_ conversations Five made fell flat fairly quickly, and it was some small relief, at least, for Four to see that One apparently found Five’s whorish demeanor just as distasteful as she herself did. Finally, after an immeasurable several hours spent being carted along underneath the cover of an unchanging black sky, they passed through the gates of a town, and then through the outer walls of One’s castle itself.

Four finally exited the wagon at that point, though with heavy chains around her ankles the simple act of climbing down to the ground was nearly a disastrous one. Her face burned at the display, entirely unbecoming of Lady One’s faithful hunter, and it burned even more brightly when she saw how delicately One extended a hand to help Five down from the back of the wagon. That should have been the other way around, Four felt.

One and Five lead her inside after that, through several stone passages that weren’t entirely unlike the halls of the prison, though they were far more well-lit and inviting. Four was marched up several staircases, chains rattling against each step, and then she was led down one final hall- carpeted, this time- towards a set of large, dark wooden doors. One stepped forward and pushed the doors open, and Four was ushered into a room that, she could only assume, was One’s office.

It was a long room, with a carved wooden desk sitting at the far end, and a narrow carpet leading towards it. Bookshelves lined each wall, stuffed full with tomes that looked worn and weathered, many of them surely as old as the town itself. Behind One’s desk a large stained-glass window loomed overhead, moonlight passing through and casting colorful patterns onto the floor below.

“Five,” One said, strolling towards her desk as she spoke. “Unchain her.” Four felt some relief at knowing that her shackles were _finally_ going to be removed, though that relief did wane slightly when she saw _where_ , precisely, Five produced her key from. Four did her best to ignore that, keeping her eyes dead ahead as Five approached beside her.

“As you wish, One,” she and the lack of a sufficiently reverent title was grating upon Four’s ears. What was even worse, however, were Five’s next words, directed towards Four herself. “Are you really sure you want them off, though?” inflection making it sound like she thought that was a positively hilarious joke. “The look suits you, you know.”

“Release me,” Four snarled, the slightest hint of something uncouth creeping into her voice. And Five just smiled back at her, slotting the key onto each wrist to free them, then crouching to release her ankles as well.

“There you are, dear,” Five said, standing back up and tucking the key away. “Do you need anything else? Some lotion? Water? A bath, maybe? You _do_ reek.”

“I- That’s hardly my fault!” Four protested, face heating up again. It wasn’t as if she’d had access to bathing facilities while she’d been rotting in prison.

“Enough, Five,” One interrupted. She reached her desk, though rather than circling all the way around to sit behind it she simply turned and leaned against the edge, facing Four as she continued to speak. “Now that you’re here, I suppose I can explain to you exactly what it is I need you for.”

“You already have, haven’t you?” Four replied, brows furrowing down in consternation.

“Not entirely,” One replied. “I need a hunter, that much is true. But your job is a bit more complex than simple guard duty.”

“As I said, anything you need me to do,” Four assured her, “I’ll gladly do.”

“You hear that, One?” Five laughed. “You certainly know how to pick them.” As she said that her hand brushed against Four’s arm, causing every muscle in it to tighten, and Four’s hand to clench into a white-knuckled fist. But One just kept speaking as if nothing had happened.

“My previous hunter disappeared roughly two weeks ago,” she said. “She went out on a patrol and never came back. We’re unsure of what’s become of her. The most logical explanation would be that she was killed, but I have my doubts.”

“I certainly hope nothing so horrible befell her…” Four replied, mouth twitching into a frown. “What makes you think it didn’t?”

“If our hunter was killed in the line of duty this town would have been left undefended,” One replied. “And if the town was left undefended, you would expect the number of monster attacks to increase exponentially. Instead,” she stated, “we’ve seen the precise opposite happen.” That was, indeed, curious, and Four’s brows creased down as she listened to One explain further. “Since our previous hunter vanished there have been a few isolated incidents of monsters attacking traders and wayward travelers on the roads connecting us with our neighboring towns,” she went on. “But in the entire time she’s been gone, we haven’t seen a single monster reach the city gates. Strange, isn’t it?”

“Very,” Four agreed, nodding along with One’s words. “What do you think the reason behind this is, then?”

“That’s what I’ve brought you in to figure out,” One replied. “Your mission is twofold: in the short term, perform a hunter’s usual patrol duties, and eliminate any monsters you find in the woods. But in the long term,” she went on, “investigate your predecessor’s disappearance. Determine what happened to her and, if it turns out to be a threat, deal with it.”

“Of course!” Four replied, answering that question just a little too eagerly. “That shouldn’t be any trouble at all. I will gladly do this for you, Lady One.” And a more level-headed individual might have felt a greater sense of fear or intimidation at the thought of facing such an unknown threat, but Four felt no such thing. Anything One asked of her would still be better than another day spent withering in her cell. And even if the worst did come to pass, dying in service of Lady One was far preferable to dying on the gallows.

“I’m happy to hear that,” One said. “Of course,” she added on, before her eyes darted over to Five, and with a sinking sense of dread Four realized what was going to happen just a moment before it did. “A hunter is worth very little without a weapon. And from what I’ve heard, Zophiel is hardly in fighting shape these days.”

“That- may be true,” Four admitted, skin crawling at the way Five smiled at her as she said that.

“Well then, what do you say?” Five asked, extending a hand out towards Four. “Aren’t you excited to be working together, _partner_?” Four’s skin crawled even more at that, and very quickly she snapped her attention back to One, barking out in protest.

“Lady One, please,” she said. “Surely there have to be other options. I-”

“In all the world, Five is the one I trust more than anyone else,” One interrupted, her expression remaining stern. “If she is good enough to serve as my partner, she is most certainly good enough to serve as yours, and that’s not an honor I bestow upon you lightly. Would you really reject it?” All the words of protest Four had readied vanished as One asked that, and her mouth hung open for another few seconds, heart beating a little bit faster and cheeks flushing as a result. Eventually Four closed her mouth, and then she bowed her head slightly, before speaking up again in a far calmer tone of voice.

“Of course not, Lady One,” she said. “Please, accept my apologies.”

“I will,” One replied, “but you would do well to remember yourself in the future. Now,” she went on, pushing herself back up from the edge of her desk and approaching Five. “Are you ready?”

“As ready as I’ve ever been for anything in my life,” Five replied, spreading her arms at her sides and pushing her chest out towards One. Four glanced at her, though stomach-churning disgust prevented her from watching for long. Even then, though, she could still see what was happening out of the corner of her eye: One approached Five, and then she reached a hand up, placing it against Five’s chest. A light shone from within, originating between Five’s ribs and creeping out past between the gaps in One’s fingers, and then One herself began to glow as well. Yellow light surrounded her, shimmering and ethereal, though it only lasted for a moment before it was pulled down, slipping from One’s body and running along her arm, and finally disappearing back into Five’s chest where it belonged. The entire scene lasted only seconds, and then the room was dim again, and both One and Five looked as normal as ever.

“There,” One said, pulling her hand away from Five’s chest, and turning her eyes towards Four. “Go on, then.” And Four didn’t want to, but she knew she didn’t have much of a choice in the matter.

Four looked towards Five, and she wasn’t surprised to see Five grinning back at her, arms still outstretched, chest still pushed forward, but she was certainly disgusted. Without a word she walked forward, and she did her best to avoid meeting Five’s eyes, though when the alternative was staring at her chest it was something of a no-win situation. Four’s skin crawled even more at the thought of actually _touching_ her, and she balled her hand up into a tight fist for a moment before forcing it flat, reaching up towards Five.

Four pressed her hands to Five’s chest, feeling the warmth of her skin and the beating of her heart, though more prominent than either of those she felt a tingling sensation running across her palm as well, already spreading up into her fingers. Five reached her own hands up, clasping them over Four’s and pressing it to her chest more firmly, and then she began to speak.

The words that flowed from Five’s tongue weren’t in a language that was commonly spoken, and it was one Four had only heard a few times before in her entire life. Regardless, even if she didn’t know the precise words, she knew their meaning, and she could already feel them taking effect as well. The tingling sensation spread up through her hand, them into her arm, and across her chest, and eventually throughout her entire body. Her pulse quickened, and her vision blurred as a yellow light filled her eyes, washing everything else out. She felt strength surging through her body, filling her bones and her muscles and her lungs, and then she felt another presence in her mind as well. And the thoughts it brought with it were _nauseating_.

The thoughts and urges and impulses that entered Four’s mind in that moment made her want to throw up and claw her skin from her body, and on instinct she tried to flinch back and pull away, though Five kept her hand in place. The thoughts were fleeting and disoriented, simple little pulses of instincts and desires, but even those brief flashes were enough to be maddening. When Four couldn’t pull away she curled her fingers instead, nails digging into Five’s skin, and even the surge of pain Four felt in her own mind wasn’t enough for that not to have been worth it.

Finally, as Five’s words came to a halt, the glow enveloping Four subsided as well, allowing her to see the room around her more clearly again. Five released her hand, and the moment she did so Four pulled away and stepped back, though even then, even though it was no longer visible, she could tell that something had changed. She could feel it, clear as day, both physically and mentally, and already she could tell this was going to take some time to grow used to.

“It worked, I trust?” One asked, and as Four looked towards her again her face instantly flushed red, Four herself deeply ashamed of the first thought that entered her mind. Five’s contemptible influence, clearly.

“Like a charm,” Five replied, before letting out a long, entirely too sensual sigh, stretching her arms back and rolling her head to each side. “Did you know she’s afraid of spiders?”

“That’s not true!” Four blurted out, fists balling up again, and her irritation only spiked even higher as Five grinned back at her.

“Prove it.”

“ _Enough_ ,” One interrupted again, tone cold and stern, and the shudder that sent down Four’s spine _clearly_ wasn’t her own doing either. “The job I’ve entrusted you with is far too important to be ruined because you can’t stop bickering. Behave yourselves.”

“We’re sorry, One,” Five replied. “We’ll be good girls.” One didn’t react to that comment, merely turning her eyes to Four instead.

“Five is yours to utilize as you see fit,” she said. “She’s immensely powerful, and she’s at your beck and call now. I’m trusting you to use this strength wisely.”

“Of course, Lady One!” Four promised. “I won’t let you down.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” One replied, before turning her back to Four and looking out through the windows behind her. “My previous hunter was traveling west when she disappeared, towards one of our neighboring villages. The lord of the that village is a close friend of mine and, I suspect, may be able to provide some clues as to what’s happened. That would be as good a place to start your search as any.”

“Understood,” Four said. “We’ll leave at once.”

“That’s not necessary,” One replied, glancing back at Four over her shoulder. “I saw first hand how unpleasant your living situation was in that prison. Draw a bath, get some rest, and get a few good meals in you before you depart. You’ll leave tomorrow. The castle’s full facilities are at your disposal until then.”

“O-Of course,” Four said, not quite able to suppress the shiver of delight she felt when she heard that. “Thank you for your generosity, Lady One.”

“Think nothing of it,” One replied. “You’re my employee now. And I treat my employees well. Now, until tomorrow, you’re dismissed.”

“Thank you,” Four said, bowing her head one more time before she turned to leave the room. As she did so she caught Five’s eye, and Five was still smiling back at her- though of course, Four didn’t need to see that to tell how smug she was feeling.

“I’m looking forward to working with you, _partner_ ,” Five said. And Four merely swallowed her vitriol as she marched her way out of the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Clouds were blotting out the moon, making the night even darker than it usually was. The thick canopy of the forest looming over their heads wasn’t making it any easier, and it was the sort of darkness that managed to swallow up even the light from Four’s torch. She was having to strain her eyes just to make out what was ten feet in front of her, and she was on constant alert, every twitch of a tree branch threatening to bring with it an attack from an unseen enemy. So far they hadn’t run into trouble. But that didn’t mean Four could afford to let her guard down.

Five, on the other hand, seemed far more relaxed. The fact that her eyesight was so much better in the dark than Four’s own probably had something to do with that, and Four _wanted_ to believe that, if a monster were to approach, Five would give her warning, but she knew far better than to place her life in someone else’s hands. She still wasn’t pleased about even having to bring Five along with her in the first place, so she absolutely wasn’t going to start relying on her for anything.

“I don’t understand how you’re not freezing out here,” Five was saying, and she hadn’t shut up for two goddamn minutes for the entire hour they had been walking. “Are you absolutely _sure_ we can’t huddle for warmth? Just for a little bit?”

“I’m not cold because I’m actually wearing clothing,” Four replied. Her own attire, heavy coat on top of several layers of shirts, a skirt, and leggings, posed a sharp contrast to Five’s excessively revealing top and equally nonexistent legwear. Then again, Four had a feeling all her complaints were just for show anyway. She doubted Five actually felt the cold at all.

“I think you’re not cold because you’re the one holding a burning stick a foot from your face,” Five argued. “The least you could do is let me carry the torch for a while.”

“ _No_ ,” Four insisted, patience quickly wearing thin. She was sure One had her reasons for sending Five along with her. She was sure One’s judgment was just as measured and precise as it always was. But for the love of god, she desperately wished One would have sent her along with nearly _anyone_ else.

“That’s horribly rude of you. We’re _partners_ now, you know,” Five chided. “How are we supposed to act as a team when you won’t even engage with me a little? I’ve been trying to make conversation for the past _hour_ and you just keep ignoring me.”

“Your attempts at _conversation_ are nothing more than a series of prying questions into my personal-” Four said, though she was cut off before she could finish the sentence by Five’s arm crashing into her chest, nearly knocking the wind out of her.

“Stop,” Five commanded, all the playfulness suddenly gone from her voice.

“E-Excuse you?” Four stammered back, still trying to catch her breath again. “What are you-”

“ _Shh_ ,” Five hissed. Looking over towards her Four realized that Five’s eyes weren’t actually on her, and were, instead, staring out into the seemingly empty black space in front of them. Four went still, and another moment passed before Five spoke again. “Put the torch out. _Now._ ”

Four followed that order without question, dropping the torch to the ground and stamping her foot against it a few times over, until the flames were finally extinguished. At that point she raised her eyes towards Five again, finding it even more difficult to make her face out than before, and she spoke up in a hushed voice. “What do you see?”

“I’m not sure,” Five replied. “Something between a… basilisk and a manticore.”

“What do you mean _between_?” Four asked, eyebrows knitting together. “Which one is it?”

“I just told you, it’s neither. Or both. It’s hard to tell.”

“It has to be one or the other,” Four insisted, before sighing out in frustration. Of course Five wouldn’t even be able to do something as simple as this. It didn’t matter, though. It could have been a basilisk, or it could have been a manticore, and either one meant little more to Four than a rat. She wouldn’t have any trouble at all stamping it out. “Has it seen us yet?”

“I believe so. It’s coming this way, but slowly. It’s about thirty feet out. I think it believes it’s stalking us.”

“Adorable.”

“What do you say?” Five asked, turning towards Four and spreading her arms wide, a playful smile returning to her lips. “Ready to give it some hell?” Four grit her teeth in irritation at that, not thrilled by how much Five seemed to be enjoying herself. But, unfortunately, she knew she didn’t have a choice in the matter.

“Just keep your mouth shut and let me take care of this.”

“You’re not the first person to tell me that, though typically I’m tied up when I hear it.” Four’s temper spiked even higher at that, and maybe she took just a little bit too much pleasure in raising a hand and plunging it into Five’s chest.

Five threw her heard back as Four’s hand punched through her skin and down into her body, and any enjoyment Four might have felt from this was undermined by the loud moan Five let out to accompany the action. A vibrant yellow light shone from Five’s ribs, nearly blinding against the darkness of the forest, and it was accompanied by sparks that Four could feel dancing across her skin until it was almost numb, stretching all the way up her arm and past her elbow, nearly reaching her shoulder. She clenched her teeth as she kept her hand there, holding until the sensation was nearly unbearable before she finally pulled back.

As Four ripped her hand from inside Five’s chest, no blood or entrails came with it. Instead, Four’s entire hand was encased in a gauntlet, heavy and metallic, razor-sharp fingers gleaming with golden light for a few more seconds before it subsided. And Five herself, in the wake of this, was wearing a disoriented smile and letting out a shaky laugh.

“Goodness,” she said, placing a hand over her chest where Four’s had been just a moment prior. “I have to say, you really know how to treat a woman.”

“Will you _stop that_?” Four growled. “We’re in the middle of a fight. You have more important things to be focused on.”

“Ah, but of course,” Five agreed. “I have to admit, I’m just _dying_ to see how the fabled Four handles herself in battle. Give me a good show, won’t you?”

“I will,” Four muttered back. “But not because you asked me to.” She turned her eyes forward again at that point, and suddenly the darkness in front of her didn’t seem so suffocating. Sure enough, perhaps twenty feet off now, she could make out the outline of some sort creature, though at this distance and under these conditions it was still hard to make out what. The silhouette looked far more akin to a manticore than a basilisk, though, hunched over on four legs, with a long tail and a pair of crooked wings, and Four really didn’t understand how this had been difficult for Five to figure out.

“Wait-” Five said, though before she could finish the sentence Four was lunging forward through the darkness, closing the distance between herself and her prey. At that point the manticore seemed to realize it had been had, and it prepared itself to strike, hunching down lower to the ground in a fashion Four must have seen a hundred times over by now. It was nothing to be afraid of; her gauntlet was stronger than a manticore’s skull, and she could easily smash it out of the air without breaking a sweat. She'd done it countless times before.

Four watched as the manticore’s legs tensed up, as it sprung forward, as it traveled through the air towards her. Without even having to think about it she ran forward, arm raised, ready to strike. And it was only once the beast was nearly upon her that Four realized it wasn’t a manticore at all.

The body looked enough like a manticore, but the head appeared to be something different entirely. It was reptilian, with frills along the sides, with scales covering its skin, with rows upon rows of needle-like teeth lining its mouth. It was, Four realized just a moment too late, very much the head of a basilisk.

The head snapped at an angle Four wasn’t anticipating, very nearly taking a bite out of her arm. Teeth clattered against the metal of Four’s gauntlet, and if it hadn’t been there Four had no doubt that she would have lost a hand. The creature latched onto Four’s arm, teeth sinking into the metal, and Four whipped her torso around, trying to carry the monster’s momentum and hurl it loose. She managed to succeed, sending the beast tumbling across the ground, but Four’s own balance was thrown off as well, and she found herself stumbling backwards, barely able to catch her own footing before she fell.

“I tried to warn you,” Five called out from a short distance away, though Four felt those words in her mind before she even heard them. She bit her tongue, because the only other thing she could do at this point would be agree with Five. Maybe she wasn’t quite as stupid as she looked. “That’s a rude thing to think about a woman, you know.”

“Will you be quiet?” Four snapped, glancing in Five’s direction just long enough to glare at her before she returned her eyes to the- to the _whatever_ it was she was fighting. It had landed on its feet, and already it was pivoting around to face Four again, looking like it was preparing itself to pounce once more. Clearly, Four needed a new strategy.

Perhaps it had been unwise to come out into the forest without taking the time to realize _what_ , exactly, she was capable of doing, though she’d at least gotten some sense of it in that one little moment. When she’d run forward and prepared to strike Four had been able to feel _something_ inside her that wasn’t her own. It was different from what she had always felt with Zophiel; Zophiel was a font of pure strength, enough for Four to crush boulders and fell trees, but they hadn’t done her any favors when it came to making her more nimble or dexterous. Now, with Five, that had changed. Five’s blessing wasn’t _agile_ , per say, but it was quick, in the same way that a charging bull was more than just a boulder rolling down a hill. This would take getting used to, but it was something Four could work with.

Four watched as the creature prepared to pounce a second time, and her brain was running a mile a minute, going through calculations in her mind for what would unfold over the next few seconds. The monster lept forward, manticore legs launching it into the air while basilisk teeth gnashed at Four, and this time she knew better than to just stand there and wait for it. She ran forward, and then she dove at the last moment, legs out in front of her, sliding along the ground. She watched as the basilisk head went soaring over her, and then she raised her gauntlet up, tearing into its vulnerable, exposed manticore stomach.

Four felt a thrilling, _familiar_ sensation as her claws pierced into the monster’s flesh and cut through it, one that had been so painfully absent while she’d been locked away in prison. She heard the creature hiss a pained, snakelike hiss, and she felt blood rain down on her, warm and wet, splattering across her face and splashing onto her clothes. Her claws dragged down the entire length of the monster’s body, cutting through muscle and ribs alike, and each snap of bone sent a shudder down Four’s spine. She only pulled her claws loose when she’d gotten all the way to the other end, sending the creature’s body tumbling several feet past her before it landed on the ground.

Four skidded a few more feet in the opposite direction before she was able to bring herself to a stop and hastily pull herself back to her feet, and she quickly turned to face her prey, eyes narrowing as she tried to detect whether it was still alive. She was almost disappointed, then, when she realized the creature had gone limp on the ground while blood pooled below it. It wasn’t moving. It wasn’t even breathing. It was well and fully dead.

And yet, how could one ever truly be sure? Monsters were dangerous, tricky, deceitful beasts. It very easily could have been faking, and as Four approached the beast, muscles in her arm tensing, making sure it couldn’t get back up seemed like the _practical_ thing to do. If she just separated the head from the body, or took a few limbs off-

“I must say, I’m impressed. I guess the stories about you weren’t exaggerated after all!” Hearing those words snapped Four from her thoughts, and she turned to see Five approaching her- or, more accurately, having already approached her. She was standing barely two feet away from Four, now, and seeing her so close made Four lurch backwards, realizing the state she was in. Her heart was racing, and her breathing was just a little more shallow than it should have been. Her knees felt weak, suddenly, but not from exhaustion.

“Don’t sneak up on me like that,” she spat, though that did little to wipe the smile from Five’s face.

“I didn’t try to, but you were really off in your own little world for a minute there. In all the stories I’ve heard about you, nobody ever mentioned that you _enjoy_ this quite so much. It explains a few things, though.”

“What are you trying to imply?” Four huffed indignantly, gauntlet vanishing from her hand as she asked the question.

“I’m inside your head, darling,” Five replied, tapping the edge of her skull with her finger. “You can’t hide these things.”

“If anything it’s _your_ fault I’m like this,” Four spat back. “To think someone could actually feel this way about _violence_ and _bloodshed_ \- you _disgust_ me.” But Five just kept smiling at her, and as Four turned her back to Five and went to pull her discarded torch from the ground and continue into the woods, she had a feeling Five hadn’t been convinced.

* * *

Their travel took several more hours after that, though they were uneventful hours, not another monster in sight. Sure enough, it was almost eerie, how quiet the woods were. On a trip of this length Four would have expected at least five or six wandering beasts to cross their path, but aside from the one, they hadn’t seen anything. And this was made all that much stranger by the fact that the one they _had_ seen was something bizarre, something Four had never encountered before. That was still plaguing her thoughts as well.

Uneventful and easy as their trip maybe have been, though, it was still a relief to see lights off in the distance, cutting through the darkness and signaling that they'd reached their destination. As they got closer Four could begin to see the trees give way, and walls and buildings taking shape against the blackness. The village looked smaller than One’s, and the wall around the perimeter appeared to be made from wood, rather than stone. The fact that they had a wall at all was still a good sign, though.

“When we get in there, let me do the talking,” Five said, walking up ahead of Four.

“I’m not sure I trust you to do that,” Four replied.

“Relax. They know me here.” Five looked back over her shoulder and winked as she said that, and it did little to assuage Four’s fears.

Despite her worries Four did let Five walk ahead of her as they reached the town, and sure enough, from the moment the first guards outside the gates laid eyes on her it appeared they knew who she was. They hadn’t received word of their arrival, as best Four could tell, but they let her and Five into the town all the same, at which point Five lead the way through the streets and towards a tall, striking building that dwarfed everything else around it. The home of the lord One had mentioned, Four could only assume.

Even the guards at the front doors seemed to know Five well enough to let her in without a question. Four had to wonder if that was just because of her status, or if she had _personal_ relationships with each of them.

After getting inside Four and Five were lead to a nice parlor, with comfortable looking furniture and a fireplace burning away in the corner, and they were told to wait while the guards went and fetched their Lord. Five thanked them for their help, and the moment they were out of the room Four looked towards her.

“This lord that we’re meeting with,” she said. “Lady One didn’t give us much information to go on. What’s she like?”

“Far less uptight than One herself,” Five replied, already managing to irritate Four with just those few words.

“Lady One isn’t _uptight_ ,” she insisted. “She takes her job seriously. You would do well to follow her example.”

“She’s not here, Four,” Five replied. “She can’t hear you.” Four’s face burned at that, but Five just continued on without acknowledging it. “She’s very cheerful. Upbeat. Friendly. Gets along well with anyone. You’ll love her, I’m sure.” Four wasn’t convinced, though. A lot of what Five had said just sounded like synonyms for “unprofessional.” Not to mention, Four wasn’t sure she wanted to know what fit Five’s definition of “friendly.”

She wasn’t waiting for long. As it turned out. Just a few seconds after their conversation Four heard footsteps coming from down the hall, and a moment later a woman entered who, judging by her flashy (if not _minimal_ ) attire, Four had to assume was the lord in question.

“So sorry to keep you waiting!” she said. “I wasn’t expecting visitors.”

“We’re sorry to drop in on you unexpectedly, Lady Two,” Five replied. She rose from her chair as she said, that, approaching Two and taking her hand. She bowed her head and kissed it delicately, and Two seemed to find amusement in that, giggling at the gesture.

“You don’t have to be sorry,” she promised. “You’re always welcome here!”

“I’m happy to hear that,” Five replied. She stood up straight again, and then she gestured towards Four, who was still sitting rigidly in her own chair, trying her hardest to fight back the intrusive thoughts that had come into her head the moment Two had entered the room- intrusive in the most literal sense of the word. “Allow me to introduce you to my new partner, Four.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Two,” Four said, hastily standing from her chair before bowing at the waist. “On behalf of Lady One, we thank you for your hospitality.”

“Oooh, she’s so formal!” Two laughed, causing Four’s face to burn even more. “To what do I owe this visit?”

“We’re investigating something of a mystery,” Five replied, while Four pulled herself upright again. “I’m sure news has reached you about the disappearance of One’s previous hunter, yes?”

“Ah, yeah, I heard about that,” Two replied, lips twitching into a small frown. “It’s such a shame. You’re here because of that?”

“According to Lady One, her previous hunter was traveling to your village when she vanished,” Four said. “She believed you might know something about what happened to her.”

“And a little something about why the woods around her are so devoid of monsters,” Five went on. “We only got attacked a single time on the way over, can you believe that? A four hour walk and we came across one lousy monster. It’s almost disappointing, honestly.”

“I’m sure what Five _means_ to say,” Four said, shooting Five a scolding look, “is that it’s strange for the woods to be so safe. Would you happen to know anything about this?”

“Hmm, that’s a good question…” Two replied, drumming her fingers against her chin as she thought it over. “Cent and I have been patrolling ourselves, a little bit, and we’ve noticed the same thing. And we’ve killed a few monsters ourselves, but definitely not enough to explain all of this.”

“You’re sounding like you’re at just as much of a loss as we are,” Five said, though a moment later Two’s eyes lit up.

“Hey!” she said. “I might not have an answer for you, but if you can stick around for a little bit, I bet I know someone who might.”

* * *

In the depths of the forest, where the trees grew so thick the moonlight could barely even peek through the cracks between branches, a woman stood. She was hunched over, panting, her whole body shaking. Silver hair fell in ratty tangles around her face, nearly covering pink eyes that seemed to glow on their own in the dark. Blood was splattered across her pale skin and hair clothes, and in front of her sat the now marred corpse of a bear, nearly the size of a building, with spines jutting out from underneath its fur. The woman’s arm ripped into the fallen beast's flesh, tearing chunks from bone, and around it something dark coalesced.

Another woman stood, a short distance away, leaning against a tree as she observed. Her hair and attire were so dark that she nearly disappeared into the blackness, but her usually tired eyes hadn’t moved in minutes, locked to the spectacle in front of her. She watched as the other woman gouged through skin and fur and spine and sinew alike, not stopping until the corpse had nearly been picked clean.

“More,” the hunter growled, blood dripping from her arm and her mouth. “I’m still hungry. I need more.”

“You’ll pick the forest clean at this rate,” her observer replied, words coming slowly, tone flat.

“Tell me where I can find more. Or I’ll devour you instead.” A few seconds of silence passed, before she responded to that.

“Point six miles north north-east. A den of bat-hellhound chimeras. Sixteen of them, last I checked.”

“You’re fucked up. You know that?” And then, without another word, the hunter headed off into the night, and her observer followed after her.


End file.
